The Washington Post and BBC are both reporting the identity of Jihadi John, arguably the world's most wanted man, is a Londoner named Mohammed Emwazi.

ED NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - This image made from a video released by Islamic State militants on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015, purports to show a militant standing next to Japanese journalist Kenji Goto before his beheading by the militant group. Goto was captured in October 2014, after he traveled to Syria to try to win the release of Haruna Yukawa. (AP Photo)

UPDATE: #JihadiJohn is West London computing graduate http://t.co/TH6ZPpl1b3 http://t.co/kTMsKJbReK

The identity of Jihadi John has been known to intelligence services since last summer: http://t.co/6puEOxZwHS http://t.co/MusulUPq8g

Jihadi John identified: Everything we know about Mohammed Emwazi so far http://t.co/GLkIJAMN9o http://t.co/Q87QV9rnNJ

Jihadi John is identified as former university student from respectable London family http://t.co/bShmmFfZHr http://t.co/UonzOXWmky

Japan is struggling to contact ISIS extremists who are holding two hostages. The ISIS extremists are holding the hostages ahead of a deadline for their execution.

The murder of a Japanese hostage by IS has been condemned internationally as a despicable act of terror. The one minute video of Kenji Goto's death emerged online last night and today officials have confirmed they believe it is genuine. Sky's Mark Stone reports.

People walk past a big screen reporting that a Japanese hostage was killed by the Islamic State in Tokyo on February 1, 2015. Japan said it was 'outraged' after the Islamic State group released a video purportedly showing the beheading of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto. AFP PHOTO / Toru YAMANAKA (Photo credit should read TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images)

People walk by a screen showing TV news reports of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto, held by the Islamic State group, in Tokyo Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015. The fates of the Japanese journalist and a Jordanian military pilot were still unknown Saturday after the latest purported deadline for a possible prisoner swap lapsed with no further messages from the Islamic State group holding them captive. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A passerby is silhouetted against a large TV screen broadcasting a news program Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015 in Tokyo reporting on a video posted on YouTube by jihadists on Tuesday, Jan. 27, that purports to show a still photo of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto holding what appears to be a photo of Jordanian pilot 1st Lt. Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh. Goto's mother appealed publicly to Japan's leader to save her son after his captors purportedly issued what they said was a final death threat. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A protester holds a sign stating "I am Kenji" during a rally outside the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015. Junko Ishido, the mother of Kenji Goto, the Japanese freelance journalist being held hostage by Islamic State group extremists, appealed publicly to Japan's leader to save her son Wednesday after his captors purportedly issued what they said was a final death threat. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

The mother of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto is grieving her son's apparent beheading by Islamic State.

Japanese women react as they read extra newspapers in Tokyo reporting about an online video that purported to show an Islamic State group militant beheading Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, Sunday morning, Feb. 1, 2015. Japan condemned with outrage and horror on Sunday after the video was posted on militant websites late Saturday Middle East time. The headline reads: "A video on killing of Goto." (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Junko Ishido (R) mother of Kenji Goto, speaks to reporters while her husband Yukio Ishido (L) stands beside her at their home in Tokyo on February 1, 2015. Japan said it was 'outraged' after the Islamic State group released a video purportedly showing the beheading of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto. AFP PHOTO / KAZUHIRO NOGI (Photo credit should read KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images)

Junko Ishido (C) mother of Kenji Goto, speaks to reporters while her husband Yukio Ishido (L) stands beside her at their home in Tokyo on February 1, 2015. Japan said it was 'outraged' after the Islamic State group released a video purportedly showing the beheading of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto. AFP PHOTO / KAZUHIRO NOGI (Photo credit should read KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images)

Junko Ishido, center, mother of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto who was taken hostage by the Islamic State group, speaks during a press conference at her home in Tokyo, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Junko Ishido, the mother of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, 47, who is being held hostage by the Islamic State group, speaks to the media during a press conference as their photo when Goto was 19 is displayed at her home in Koganei on the outskirts of Tokyo Friday, Jan. 30, 2015. Jordan on Thursday demanded proof from Islamic State militants that a Jordanian pilot they are holding is still alive, despite purported threats by the group to kill the airman at sunset unless an al-Qaida prisoner is freed from death row in Jordan. The militants' deadline passed without word on the fate of the pilot, Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, and a fellow hostage, Goto. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Junko Ishido, left, mother of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto who was taken hostage by the Islamic State group, speaks during a press conference at her home in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 30, 2015. A young Jordanian fighter pilot, a female al-Qaida recruit who tried to blow up a hotel ballroom in Amman and a veteran Japanese war correspondent are at the center of a life-and-death standoff with the Islamic State group. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

A protester holds a sign stating "I am Kenji" during a rally outside the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015. Junko Ishido, the mother of Kenji Goto, the Japanese freelance journalist being held hostage by Islamic State group extremists, appealed publicly to Japan's leader to save her son Wednesday after his captors purportedly issued what they said was a final death threat. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Protesters chant "Free Goto" during a demonstration in front of the Prime Minister's Official residence in Tokyo, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015. The plight of freelance journalist Kenji Goto, taken captive by Islamic State group militants, has gripped Japan, and the peopleâs hopes for his safety are now on Facebook with a simple, unifying plea: âI am Kenji.â As of Tuesday, the âI am Kenjiâ Facebook page had more than 25,000 âlikesâ and is continuing to grow. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A man comforts the wife of Jordanian pilot, Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, who is held by the Islamic State group militants, during a protest in front of the Royal Palace in Amman, Jordan, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015. Jordan on Wednesday offered a precedent-setting prisoner swap to the Islamic State group in a desperate attempt to save a Jordanian air force pilot the militants purportedly threatened to kill, along with a Japanese hostage. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)

A man comforts the wife, right, of Jordanian pilot, Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, who is held by the Islamic State group militants, during a protest in front of the Royal Palace in Amman, Jordan, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015. Jordan on Wednesday offered a precedent-setting prisoner swap to the Islamic State group in a desperate attempt to save a Jordanian air force pilot the militants purportedly threatened to kill, along with a Japanese hostage. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)

Safi al-Kaseasbeh, left, father of Jordanian pilot Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, who is held by Islamic State group militants, attends a protest in front of the Royal Palace in Amman, Jordan, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015. Jordan on Wednesday offered a precedent-setting prisoner swap to the Islamic State group in a desperate attempt to save a Jordanian air force pilot the militants purportedly threatened to kill, along with a Japanese hostage. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)

FILE - This Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2014 file image posted by the Raqqa Media Center, which monitors events in territory controlled by Islamic State militants with the permission of the extremist group, shows militants with a captured pilot, Mu'ath Al-Kaseasbeh, wearing a white shirt, in Raqqa, Syria. The 26-year old Jordanian pilot is the first foreign military pilot to fall into the Islamic State group's hands since an international coalition began its aerial campaign against the group in September. He was carrying out air strikes against the militants when his F-16 went down near the Islamic State groupâs de facto capital of Raqqa on Dec. 24. His captors have not made any public demands for his release. (AP Photo/Raqqa Media Center, File)

Safi al-Kaseasbeh, father of Jordanian pilot Lt. Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh, who is held by Islamic State group militants, looks at a computer in Amman, hours after militants posted a video purporting to show a Japanese hostage holding the pilot's picture with a message that both hostages would be killed within 24 hours. Jordan is willing to swap an Iraqi woman prisoner involved in deadly 2005 hotel bombings for a Jordanian pilot captured in December by extremists from the Islamic State group, a government spokesman said Wednesday.(AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)

A relative of captured Jordanian pilot 1st Lt. Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh, 26, pauses by his photo on the wall of his family's home, in Karak, South of Amman, Jordan, Saturday, Jan 3, 2015. Islamic State fighters took al-Kaseasbeh prisoner after his F-16 fighter jet crashed near the extremists' de facto capital of Raqqa in northern Syria. The father of the pilot appealed Saturday to the militants to treat his son well and with respect. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)

Junko Ishido, the mother of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto held by Islamic State group, reacts during a press conference in Tokyo, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015. Ishido appealed publicly Wednesday to Japan's leader to save her son after his captors issued what they said was a final death threat. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Junko Ishido, left, mother of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto held by Islamic State group, speaks during a press conference in Tokyo, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015. Ishido appealed publicly Wednesday to Japan's leader to save her son after his captors issued what they said was a final death threat. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Junko Ishido, mother of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto held by Islamic State group, speaks during a press conference in Tokyo, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015. Ishido appealed publicly Wednesday to Japan's leader to save her son after his captors issued what they said was a final death threat. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Junko Ishido, left, mother of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto held by Islamic State group, speaks during a press conference in Tokyo, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015. Ishido appealed publicly Wednesday to Japan's leader to save her son after his captors issued what they said was a final death threat. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Junko Ishido, mother of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto held by Islamic State group, reacts during a press conference in Tokyo, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015. Ishido appealed publicly Wednesday to Japan's leader to save her son after his captors issued what they said was a final death threat. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Relatives of captured Jordanian pilot 1st Lt. Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh meet with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal, center left, and other Christian clergymen during a visit to the al-Kaseasbeh family to show their support and solidarity, in Karak, Amman, Jordan, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015. Al-Kaseasbeh, a Muslim, was carrying out airstrikes against the militant Islamic State group when he was captured on Dec. 24 after his F-16 fighter jet crashed near the extremists' de facto capital of Raqqa in northern Syria. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)

Safi Yousef al-Kaseasbeh, center right, the father of Jordanian pilot 1st Lt. Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh, 26, walks past well-wishers during a gathering of the al-Kaseasbeh family, in Karak, south of Amman, Jordan, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, and other Christian clergymen visited the al-Kaseasbeh family to show their support and solidarity. The younger al-Kaseasbeh, a Muslim, was captured by the Islamic State group on Dec. 24 after his F-16 fighter jet crashed near the extremists' de facto capital of Raqqa in northern Syria. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)

Masked people shout slogans to call for the freedom of Jordanian pilot Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh, held by the Islamic State group in the Syrian city of Raqqa, as police officers try to control the protest after prayers in downtown Amman, Jordan, Friday, Dec. 26, 2014. The father of the pilot pleaded for his son's release on Thursday, asking the group to treat him well in captivity as a fellow Muslim. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)

AMMAN, JORDAN - JANUARY 17: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (L) and his wife Akie arrive at the Alia International Airport for an official visit in Amman, Jordan on January 17, 2015. (Photo by Shadi Nsoor/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

In this Jan. 25, 2015 photo, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pauses as he speaks after signing a book of condolence for King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia at the Saudi Arabia Embassy in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Shoichi Yukawa, father of Haruna Yukawa, one of two Japanese hostages held by the Islamic State group, speaks during an interview at his home in Chiba, near Tokyo Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015. Japanese officials are working to verifying a new message purported to be from the Islamic State group holding the hostages. The Associated Press could not verify the contents of the message, which varied greatly from previous videos released by the Islamic State group, which now holds a third of both Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Asahi Shimbun, Yasuhiro Sugimoto, Pool)

Shoichi Yukawa, father of Haruna Yukawa, one of two Japanese hostages held by the Islamic State group, speaks during an interview at his house in Chiba, near Tokyo Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015. Japanese officials are working to verifying a new message purported to be from the Islamic State group holding the hostages. The Associated Press could not verify the contents of the message, which varied greatly from previous videos released by the Islamic State group, which now holds a third of both Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Asahi Shimbun, YasuhiroSugimoto, Pool)

Shoichi Yukawa, center, father of Haruna Yukawa, one of two Japanese hostages held by the Islamic State group, speaks during an interview at his house in Chiba, near Tokyo Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015. Japanese officials are working to verifying a new message purported to be from the Islamic State group holding the hostages. The Associated Press could not verify the contents of the message, which varied greatly from previous videos released by the Islamic State group, which now holds a third of both Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Asahi Shimbun, Yasuhiro Sugimoto, Pool)

Shoichi Yukawa, father of Haruna Yukawa, one of two Japanese hostages held by the Islamic State group, speaks during an interview at his house in Chiba, near Tokyo Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015. Japanese officials are working to verifying a new message purported to be from the Islamic State group holding the hostages. The Associated Press could not verify the contents of the message, which varied greatly from previous videos released by the Islamic State group, which now holds a third of both Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Asahi Shimbun, YasuhiroSugimoto, Pool)

Junko Ishido, mother of Japanese journalist Keni Goto taken hostage by Islamic State, speaks during a press conference in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 23, 2015. Goto's mother said her son went to Syria to try to secure a friend's release, corroborating comments by others who said he was trying to rescue Yukawa, who was taken hostage earlier. The deadline for paying ransom for two Japanese hostages held by the Islamic State group was fast approaching early Friday with no signs of a breakthrough. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Junko Ishido, mother of Japanese journalist Keni Goto taken hostage by Islamic State, speaks during a press conference in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 23, 2015. Goto's mother said her son went to Syria to try to secure a friend's release, corroborating comments by others who said he was trying to rescue Yukawa, who was taken hostage earlier. The deadline for paying ransom for two Japanese hostages held by the Islamic State group was fast approaching early Friday with no signs of a breakthrough. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Junko Ishido, the mother of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto who was taken hostage by the Islamic State group, arrives for a press conference in Tokyo Friday, Jan. 23, 2015. Militants affiliated with the Islamic State group have posted an online warning that the "countdown has begun" for the group to kill a pair of Japanese hostages. "Time is running out. Please, Japanese government, save my sonâs life," said Ishido. "My son is not an enemy of the Islamic State," she said in a tearful appearance in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Junko Ishido, mother of Kenji Goto, one of two Japanese men being held by Islamist militants, gestures as she answers questions during a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on January 23, 2015. Ishido pleaded for her son's release and urged Tokyo to pay a 200 million USD ransom hours before a deadline expires. AFP PHOTO / Toru YAMANAKA (Photo credit should read TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images)

Junko Ishido, mother of Kenji Goto, one of two Japanese men being held by Islamist militants, answers questions during a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on January 23, 2015. Ishido pleaded for her son's release and urged Tokyo to pay a 200 million USD ransom hours before a deadline expires. AFP PHOTO / Toru YAMANAKA (Photo credit should read TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images)

Junko Ishido, mother of Kenji Goto, one of two Japanese men being held by Islamist militants, is surrounded by photographers at the beginning of a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo on January 23, 2015. Ishido pleaded for her son's release and urged Tokyo to pay a 200 million USD ransom hours before a deadline expires. AFP PHOTO / Toru YAMANAKA (Photo credit should read TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images)

Junko Ishido, the mother of one of two Japanese hostages held by Islamic State, pleads for help in Tokyo. She speaks at a news conference to appeal for journalist Kenji Goto's release. (Video: AP)

Junko Ishido, mother of Japanese journalist Keni Goto taken hostage by Islamic State, speaks during a press conference in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 23, 2015. With time running short, the mother of one of the hostages, 47-year-old journalist Kenji Goto, appealed for understanding and urged the government to help him. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Kosuke Tsuneoka, a Japanese freelance journalist, prepares to answer questions about the two hostages held by the Islamic State group, at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015. Tsuneoka, who was held hostage in Afghanistan in 2010, also offered to reach out to the Islamic State group, with Ko Nakata, an expert on Islamic law, to try to save the hostages. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Ko Nakata, an expert on Islamic law, prepares to attend a news conference on two hostages held by the Islamic State group, at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015. Nakata told reporters he was able to reach the Islamic State. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Ko Nakata, an expert on Islamic law, reads a message to hostage takers during a press conference on two hostages held by the Islamic State group, at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015. Nakata told reporters he was able to reach the Islamic State. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A Japanese journalist looks at a video of the hostages prior to Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe press conference in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015. The Islamic State group threatened to kill two Japanese hostages Tuesday unless they receive $200 million in 72 hours, directly demanding the ransom from Japan's premier during his visit to the Middle East. Abe vowed to save the men, saying: "Their lives are the top priority." (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has demanded that ISIS release the two Japanese citizens they are holding hostage and has pledged to put people's lives as a top priority.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reacts at a meeting on two Japanese hostages taken by the Islamic State group, at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015. Japan is doing all it can to free two hostages the Islamic State group is threatening to kill within 72 hours, Abe said Wednesday, vowing never to give in to terrorism. Abe returned to Tokyo from a six-day Middle East tour slightly ahead of schedule and convened a Cabinet meeting soon after. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, Pool)

A shopper chats with a sales clerk with a television broadcasting a news about detained two Japanese in the background, at an electronics store in Tokyo, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015. The release of an online video Tuesday purporting to show an Islamic State figure demanding $200 million in ransom for two Japanese hostages ambushed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as he was wrapping up a six-day tour of the Middle East. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Jordan's King Abdullah II, right) meets, Japanese Vice-Foreign Minister Yasuhide Nakayama, 3drd left, in Amman Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015. Nakayama arrived in Jordan on Tuesday as negotiations continued to free two Japanese hostages captured by the Islamic state militants. (AP Photo/Petra News Agency)

Kosuke Tsuneoka, a Japanese freelance journalist, speaks about the two hostages held by the Islamic State group, at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015. Tsuneoka, who was held hostage in Afghanistan in 2010, also offered to reach out to the Islamic State, with Ko Nakata, an expert on Islamic law, to try to save the hostages. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Kosuke Tsuneoka, a Japanese freelance journalist, looks on before a news conference about two Japanese hostages being held by the Islamic State group, at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015. Tsuneoka, who was held hostage in Afghanistan in 2010, also offered to reach out to the Islamic State, with Ko Nakata, an expert on Islamic law, to try to save the hostages. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Kosuke Tsuneoka, a Japanese freelance journalist, listens during a news conference about the two Japanese hostages held by the Islamic State group, at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015. Tsuneoka, who was held hostage in Afghanistan in 2010, also offered to reach out to the Islamic State group, with Ko Nakata, an expert on Islamic law, to try to save the hostages. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Kosuke Tsuneoka, a Japanese freelance journalist, prepares to answer questions about the two hostages held by the Islamic State group, at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015. Tsuneoka, who was held hostage in Afghanistan in 2010, also offered to reach out to the Islamic State group, with Ko Nakata, an expert on Islamic law, to try to save the hostages. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

TOKYO, JAPAN - JANUARY 22: (CHINA OUT, SOUTH KOREA OUT) Islamic law scholar and former Doshisha University professor Ko Nakata speaks during a press conference at teh Foreign Correspondents' Club on January 22, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan. Nakata claimed he has got connections with the militant group, and able to intermediate the negotiation on the release of the 47-year-old freelance journalist Kenji Goto and 42-year-old Haruna Yukawa, the founder of a private security company. (Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images)

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015. The Islamic State group threatened to kill two Japanese hostages Tuesday unless they receive $200 million in 72 hours, directly demanding the ransom from Japan's premier during his visit to the Middle East. Abe vowed to save the men, saying: "Their lives are the top priority." (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

#ISIS threatens to execute two #Japanese hostages unless ransom of $200 million is paid within 72 hours. http://t.co/Z8egkDNYNG

A man watches a television broadcasting a news about detained two Japanese, at an electronics store in Tokyo, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015. The release of an online video Tuesday purporting to show an Islamic State figure demanding $200 million in ransom for two Japanese hostages ambushed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as he was wrapping up a six-day tour of the Middle East. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

ALEPPO, SYRIA - JANUARY 20: In this file photo, dated as April 25, 2014, Japanese journalist Kenji Goto Jogo, captured by Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) and one of two Japanese hostages, is seen in Aleppo, Syria. (Photo by Ahmed Muhammed Ali/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Isis demand $200m to spare two Japanese hostages in chilling new video http://t.co/CxKrYhijQH http://t.co/C132cl6vlh

Something about #ISIS video of 2 Japanese hostages. Note the shadows in different angles & differing colour contrast http://t.co/FmSDVH31zI

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, right, shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ahead of their meeting at the Palestinian Authority headquarters, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015. An online video released Tuesday purported to show the Islamic State group threatening to kill two Japanese hostages unless they receive a $200 million ransom in the next 72 hours. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser, Pool)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, right, escorts Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe upon his arrival at the Palestinian Authority headquarters, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015. An online video released Tuesday purported to show the Islamic State group threatening to kill two Japanese hostages unless they receive a $200 million ransom in the next 72 hours. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe inspect an honor guard at the Palestinian Authority headquarters, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015. An online video released Tuesday purported to show the Islamic State group threatening to kill two Japanese hostages unless they receive a $200 million ransom in the next 72 hours. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

The sister, right, and wife, left, of Jordanian pilot, Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, who is held by the Islamic State group militants, cry as they ride a car during a protest in front of the Royal Palace in Amman, Jordan, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015. Jordan on Wednesday offered a precedent-setting prisoner swap to the Islamic State group in a desperate attempt to save a Jordanian air force pilot the militants purportedly threatened to kill, along with a Japanese hostage. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)

Members of Al-Kaseasbeh, the tribe of Jordanian pilot, Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, who is held by the Islamic State group militants, light candles and carry posters with his picture and Arabic that reads "we are all Muath," at the captured pilot's tribal gathering divan, in his home town of Karak, Jordan, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015. An online video released Saturday night purported to show an Islamic State group militant behead Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, ending days of negotiations by diplomats to save the man. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

People stage a silent rally for Japanese hostage Kenji Goto called 'Kenji, You will be alive in our memories' near the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo on February 1, 2015. Some 200 people gathered the rally. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on February 1 denounced as 'heinous and despicable' the apparent beheading of a second Japanese hostage by the Islamic State group, as global leaders spoke out to condemn the militants. AFP PHOTO / KAZUHIRO NOGI (Photo credit should read KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images)

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BEIRUT (AP) - Secret talks were underway Tuesday in Jordan in the presence of a Japanese envoy to secure the freedom of a Japanese journalist and a Jordanian pilot captured by Islamic State extremists and purportedly threatened with death within 24 hours.

The global efforts to free Japanese freelance journalist Kenji Goto and Jordanian Lt. Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh gained greater urgency with the release of the apparent ultimatum from the Islamic State group.

In the message, the extremists say the two hostages will be killed within 24 hours unless Jordan frees Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi woman sentenced to death in Jordan for her involvement in a 2005 terrorist attack on a hotel that killed 60 people.

The pilot's father, Safi al-Kaseasbeh, made a last-ditch appeal for Jordan "to meet the demands" of the Islamic State group.

"All people must know, from the head of the regime to everybody else, that the safety of Mu'ath means the stability of Jordan, and the death of Mu'ath means chaos in Jordan," he told The Associated Press.

About 200 relatives of the pilot demonstrated outside the prime minister's office in the Jordanian capital of Amman, chanting anti-government slogans and urging it to meet the captors' demands.

A member of Jordan's parliament said the country was in indirect talks with the militants to secure the hostages' release. Bassam Al-Manasseer, chairman of the foreign affairs committee, told Bloomberg News the negotiations are taking place through religious and tribal leaders in Iraq, adding that Jordan and Japan won't negotiate directly with IS and won't free al-Rishawi in exchange for Goto only.

Manaseer's comments were the strongest suggestion yet that authorities in Jordan and Japan may be open to a prisoner exchange, something that would go against the policy of the kingdom's main ally, the U.S., which opposes negotiating with extremists.

The hostage saga involving the two Japanese nationals has stunned Japan and triggered criticism of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over his government's handling of the crisis. The militants have reportedly beheaded one Japanese hostage, Haruna Yukawa, and have threatened to kill Goto - along with al-Kaseasbeh - setting a Wednesday afternoon deadline.

The video matched a message released over the weekend, though neither bore the logo of the Islamic State group's al-Furqan media arm. The weekend video showed a still photo of Goto holding what appears to be a photo of Yukawa's body.

The AP could not independently verify either video. However, several militant websites affiliated with the Islamic State group referenced the latest video and posted links to it Tuesday.

The message holds the Jordanian government responsible for delaying the release of al-Rishawi and says that unless she is freed within 24 hours, the pilot, followed by Goto, will be killed, adding that this would be the group's last message.

"I have only 24 hours left to live and the pilot has even less," according to the audio, purportedly from Goto.

It was not clear why the group chose to release only audio from Goto. Messages from other Western hostages held by the group have been read by the captives on camera.

Japanese officials held emergency meetings after the video's release. Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said he had seen the video released, but did not comment on its authenticity.

"In this extremely tough situation, we are continuing as before to request the cooperation of the Jordanian government to work toward the immediate release of Mr. Goto," Suga said.

Nakayama earlier expressed hope the two hostages would return home "with a smile on their faces."

"I hope we can all firmly work hard and join hands to cooperate, and for the two countries (Japan and Jordan) to cooperate, in order for us to see the day when the Jordanian pilot and our Japanese national Mr. Goto, can both safely return to their own countries with a smile on their faces," he told reporters late Monday night after another day of crisis talks in the Jordanian capital.

Tuesday marked the first time a Japanese official mentioned Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh, who has been held by IS after his Jordanian F-16 went down near the group's de facto capital of Raqqa in December. It wasn't immediately clear when the pilot's possible release had entered into the negotiations.

The 26-year-old Jordanian is the first foreign military pilot to fall into the extremists' hands since an U.S.-led coalition began its aerial campaign against the Islamic State group in August. Jordan is part of the coalition.

It was the first time that the group publicly demanded the release of prisoners in exchange for hostages. Previous captives are believed to have been released in exchange for ransom, although governments involved have refused to confirm any payments were made.

Goto, a freelance journalist, was seized in October in Syria, apparently while trying to rescue Yukawa, 42, who was captured by the militants last summer.

The weekend message retracted a demand for $200 million in ransom for the two Japanese, made in an earlier online message.

Japanese officials have indicated they are treating the video released over the weekend as authentic and thus accepting the likelihood that Yukawa was dead.

Securing the release of al-Rishawi would be a major propaganda coup for the Islamic State and would allow the group to reaffirm its links to al-Qaida in Iraq.

The mother of another Jordanian prisoner, Ziad al-Karboli, told the AP on Tuesday that her family was told that the Islamic State group also was seeking his release as part of a swap. It was unclear whether it was related to a possible deal involving the Japanese hostage.

Al-Karboli, an aide to a former al-Qaida leader in Iraq, was sentenced to death in 2008 for killing a Jordanian citizen.